Safety book match cover



P 18, 1 5 M. F. MALEK SAFETY BOOK MATCH COVER Filed Jan. 7, 1955INVENTOR ATTORNEY ME'MaZe/a BY jnin. 1

United States Patent SAFETY BOOK MATCH COVER Mitchell IF. Malek,Danielson, Conn.

Application January 7., 1955, Serial No. 480,448

7 3 (ilaim's. (Cl. 206- 29) This invention relates to a'novel cover forbook or paperma'tch'es and has for its primary object to provide asafety cover which will reduce to a minimum the risk "of igniting all ofthe paper matches of a match book accidentally while striking a singlematch.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide acover which will .most effectively enclose the matches while a match .isbeing struck on a part of the cover so that sparks from the match beingstruck cannot contact and ignite the other matches contained within thecover.

A further object of the invention is 'to provide a novel latch structurefor retaining the cover in a closed position and which is uniquelymounted by a means which connects the cover to the paper matches.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description ofthe-drawing, illustrating a pres- "ently preferred embodiment thereof,and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank from which the cover 'is formed;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view showing the cover in aclosed'position and constituting a part of a match book;

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the match book,taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 33 of Figure2;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the match book, takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figures 2and 3 and on an enlarged scale relative to Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale, takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the improved cover for amatch book of paper matches and comprising the invention includes a bodymember 7, a latch 8 and a fastening 9.

The body member 7 is formed from a single blank of cardboard or paper,or may be formed of any other suitable material. The body member 7 isillustrated in its blank form in Figure 1 having a plurality of foldlines 10 on which the body member parts are folded to form the body ofthe cover 7. The part 11 constitutes the back wall of the cover which isadapted to be disposed against one side of a double or two ply comb orgroup of paper safety matches 12 which are of conventional constructionand which include a two ply base 13 from which the individual matchsplints 14 extend. Said match splints 14 have conventional ignitingheads 15 at their free ends which are disposed remote from the base 13.One end of the blank forming the body member 7 and disposed beyond oneend of the rear wall 11 is folded back upon an adjacent portion of saidrear wall to form a bottom front wall section 16 of the cover betweenwhich and a contiguous portion of the rear wall 11, the base 13 of thematches 12 is disposed. The fastening 9 constitutes a staple the legs ofwhich extend through the parts 16, 13

2,763,368 Patented Sept. 18, 1956 11 and are disposed outwardly of theside edges of the,

group of matches 12, as best seen in Figure 4. The body portion 7includes wings or flaps 19 which are disposed outwardly of andsubstantially coextensive with said side walls 18 and which are foldedinwardly relative to the side walls 18., as best seen in Figures 4 and5. Thus, the wings of flaps 19, each of which extends only a shortdistance inwardly from its side wall 18, relative to the spacing betweensaid side walls, are disposed spaced from and substantially parallel toportions of the rear wall 11. In addition to the side flaps 19, the body7 includes corresponding end flaps 20 forming extensions ofcorresponding e'nds of the side walls 18 and which are located remotefrom the front wall section 16. Said end flaps 20 are likewise foldedinwardly relative to the side wall 18 to overlie the match heads 15 ofthe matches 14 which are located adjacent the side walls 18 or adjacentthe side edges of the comb of matches 12. As best seen in Figures 1 and5, said end flaps 20 taper in width toward their free ends and away fromthe side walls 18.

The match book cover body '7 includes an opposite end portionforming theother hinged front wall section 21 and which constitutes the top of thefront wall and which is substantially greater in length than the lowerfront wall section 16. Said 'front wall section 21 is connected to. the

other upper end of the rear wall 11 by a narrow transverse portion 22constituting the upper end or top wall of the cover and which is foldedalong a transverse line to extend in the same direction from the rearwall 11 as the side walls 18. Said end or top wall 22 overlies and ispreferably spaced from the match heads 15 and the end flaps 20, as bestseen in Figure 3. The inner or upper end of the front wall section 21 isfolded along another transverse fold line 10 so as to extend downwardlyfrom the top wall 22 in overlying relationship to the side flaps 19, asseen in Figures 4 and 5, the free end of said front wall section 21overlies the upper portion of the bottom front wall section 16, as seenin Figure 3. The front wall section 21 its outer side is provided with atransversely extending igniting or striking strip 23 which is preferablylocated near the top wall 22, as seen in Figure 2.

The latch 8 comprises an elongated strip of metal having a hook shapedend portion 24 engaging around the bottom end or told 10 of the matchbook and which constitutes the connecting portion between the lower endof the rear wall 11 and the lower end of the front wall portion 16. Saidlatch member 8 includes a shank portion which extends upwardly from thehook 24 loosely through the staple or fastening 9 and between anintermediate front portion 26 of said staple and the front wall section16. Said shank portion 25 at its upper free end has a turned back orfolded tenninal part 27. The latch can be displaced downwardly by adownward pressure on the end 27 thereof to cause said end to movedownwardly against the staple part 26 which forms a stop to retain thelatch 8 in engagement with the staple. The lower free end of the frontwall section 21 may then be swung into position overlying the upperportion of the lower front wall section 16, as seen in Figure 3. Anupward pressure can then be exerted against the hook portion 24 of thelatch for displacing the latch upwardly is v 2,763,368

into its latching position of Figures 2 and 3 with the upper portion ofthe shank 25 overlying a part of the lower free end of the front wallsection 21 and with thehook 24 engaging the bottom fold of the cover, toretain the cover in a closed position. By again pressing downwardly onthe shank end 27, the cover part'21 is released so that it can beswung'outwardly and upwardly away from the matches 14 to expose saidmatches to permit removal of a selected match from the group in aconventional manner. The cover part 21 is then returned to its latchedposition as previously described and as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3and so that said part 21 and the top wall 22 will then retain the sidewalls 18, side flaps 19 and end flaps 20 in their previously describedpositions, as illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5, for enclosing thematches 14 still contained within the cover. The removed match 14, notshown, can then be struck on the striking surface 23 without risk of aspark therefrom igniting the heads 15 of the remaining matches which arecontained within the cover 7.

It will be readily apparent that the cover including the body portion 7,the latch 8 and the fastening 9 may be very inexpensively manufacturedand assembled with the matches 12, so that the cover can be disposed ofafter all of the matches have been used.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously beresorted to, without departing from the function or scope of theinvention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a match book a cover including a body member, adapted to bedisposed around and secured to a comb of paper safety matches, includinga rear wall and a lower front wall section, said lower front wallsection and a contiguous portion of the rear wall being adapted to bedisposed around and secured to a base portion of the comb of matches,said body member including an upper front wall section having a lowerfree end overlapping a portion of the lower front wall section in aclosed position of the cover and between which and the rear wall thedetachable match splints of the comb of matches are adapted to bedisposed, said body member including a top wall connected to andextending between complementary edges of the rear wall and said upperfront wall section, said body member including side walls integrallyjoined to and projecting at an angle from the side edges of said rearwall and between which the match splints are adapted to be disposed, andsaid cover having side flaps extending inwardly from said side walls inunderlying relation to side edge portions of the upper front wallsection for maintaining said side walls in substantially parallelrelation to one another, said body member having end flaps formingextensions of complementary ends of said side walls and extendinginwardly from said side walls, relative to one another, said end flapsbeing disposed between the heads of the match splints and said top walland combining with said side walls and side flaps and portions of therear wall, top wall and upper front wall section for shielding the matchheads when the cover is in a closed position, a staple extending throughsaid lower front wall section, the base of the match comb and said rearwall for connecting said parts, a latch having a hook shaped endengaging around the connecting portion of said rear wall and said lowerfront wall section, said latch including a shank extending upwardly fromsaid hook portion loosely through said staple and disposed between thelower section of said front wall and a part of said staple, said latchhaving an upper free end overlying the lower free end of the upper frontwall section for retaining said front section in partially overlappingrelation to the lower front wall section in a closed position thereof,said latch being displaceable downwardly out of engagement with saidupper front wall section.

2. In a match book as in claim 1, the upper end of said latch beingprovided with an outwardly turned back portion forming a stop forengaging a part of said staple to limit sliding movement of the latch toa released po sition.

3. In a match book as in claim 2, said upper front wall section having atransversely extending striking surface on the outer side thereof andspaced from its ends.

Wrigley Aug. 11, 1936 Antoski Jan. 5, 1954

